Leave the Lip Gloss Home!

Spinning® training teaches us to take note of the details and prepare well for our training. Transitioning from the studio to the road or trails gives us the opportunity to put into practice what we train to do on our Spinners®.
We check our bikes to be sure the tires are properly inflated, the chains are clean and lubed, the brakes are working and all the small as well as large components are functioning safely and effectively. We wouldn?t go out without our helmets, sunglass, and bike shorts. We probably wear gloves, cycling shoes, a cycling shirt with pockets and, of course, sunscreen. We pack some snacks, plenty of water, a cell phone and perhaps even an ID bracelet.
We add to our gear a vocabulary of training techniques learned and practiced in Spinning® class. We have confidence in both our seated and standing climbs; we recognize a good cadence and we probably wear our heart rate monitors so we can ride and/or train intelligently. If we?re lucky, we have a nifty little computer on the handlebars that gives us at least our pace or at best our power. (as well as mileage, time, etc.) If we?re really lucky, we have friends to ride with for both safety and added fun.
I try to plan just as carefully for a ride outdoors as I do for a Spinning® class. I keep my bag packed and in my car along with my bike and a pump. I begin checking my diet the day before a long run (even though I try to eat well on a regular basis) and make sure to eat and drink well just before I pull out of my driveway to go to the beginning of my ride ? especially if it?s to be my long ride for the week. The last thing I do before mounting my bike is to call my husband to let him know what time I?m leaving, when I should be done, and, of course, where I will be riding.
What about you? Do you have other helpful hints, safety tips or pre-ride rituals? It would be great to share them, don?t you think?
But, one thing I learned last week is something NOT to do. It?s black fly season in Vermont. That means that tiny but nasty little flying things are all around. For some reason, just prior to my ride, I slicked on some lip gloss. NOT. Yup, you guessed it. For the entire ride I battled black flies that had stuck to my lips. Yuk.
Got any of these tips too?!
Blog posted by Linda Freeman for www.spinning.com 6/9/2011.